EU to slap €3 customs duty on small parcels from July 1st

The €3 duty, which will be applied from July 1st 2026, will apply to all goods ordered online from non-EU sites. 

It will be applied to packages valued less than €150 arriving in the EU from third countries.

This represents 93 per cent of all e-commerce flows to the European Union, according to EU data.

Elimination of customs duty exemption

The €3 customs duty is a temporary measure. It will remain in place until 2028, when the customs duty exemption currently applicable to small parcels will be permanently scrapped.

At that point, all goods entering the EU will be subject to customs duty at the regular tariff for each product.

“Given the rapid increase in e-commerce goods being imported into the EU, the Commission and Member States have together acknowledged the need for an urgent solution, which will bridge the gap until the setting up of the EU Customs Data Hub in 2028,” the Commission said when the duty was announced last last year.

In 2024, an estimated 4.6 billion low-value shipments were imported into the EU, nearly double compared to 2023, according to EU data. China accounted for about 91 per cent of them.

Handling fee

The decision taken in December 2025 was separate from the proposal to apply a separate ‘handling fee’ on e-commerce parcels, which was agreed upon in April 2026 as part of the customs reforms and that member states want to introduce from November 2026.

Under that reform, a new handling fee, also costing €3, will apply to each item ordered from non-EU countries and sent directly to EU consumers. This is meant to cover the increasing customs costs associated with the sheer volume of individual packages.

Member states will start collecting the handling fee as soon as the necessary IT system becomes available, and no later than November 1st 2026.

READ MORE: Shein, Temu - Why European consumers will pay more for cheap online orders

“While the €3 customs duty eliminates a competitive advantage that the e-commerce operators currently enjoy, the handling fee is meant to compensate for the increasing costs that customs authorities incur for supervising the very significant flow of parcels,” a Commission statement said.

EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said previously: “Our work to modernise how we manage trade at our borders is well on track, and we are close to completing the most ambitious customs reform since the creation of the Customs Union in 1968… With e-commerce expanding rapidly, the world is changing fast – and we need the right tools to keep pace.”

The issue of cheap goods flowing into the EU has been discussed at Environment Council meetings, with Belgium and France, supported by other countries, having called for urgent action at the EU level to support market surveillance and tackle ultra-fast fashion.

They flagged risks for consumers, as harmful substances have been detected in toys and cosmetics, and hazardous chemicals in clothes or furniture.

The flow of cheap goods also generates environmental problems, including waste management difficulties, and undermines businesses in the EU, with the EU clothing industry estimated to lose €12 billion in annual sales, a document argues.

French exception

France introduced its own domestic version of this charge - set at €2 per parcel - back in March.

However it was always intended as a temporary measure until the EU-wide charge came in. So from July 1st residents in France will pay €3 instead of, not in addition to, the €2 French charge.